The Effects of Family Separation on Latina Young Adult Mental Health

The Latinx population in the United States is projected to increase exponentially in upcoming years. Latina women in particular are put at disproportionate risk of experiencing psychological distress after immigrating to the US. Separation from family upon immigration introduces more difficulty to the immigration experience. Yet protective factors such as family cohesion may buffer potential psychological distress. The present study will examine the two following research questions. First, is there a difference in psychological distress experienced by Latina young women who report separating from their family in comparison to those who did not experience familial separation at immigration. Second, does a potentially deleterious effect of immigration on familial attachment underlie or mediate the hypothesized positive association between separation at immigration and psychological distress. Participants were Latina young women who ranged from 18-23 years-old, were unmarried, and had to have resided in the US for 36 months or less. I used structural path analysis to examine hypothesized associations among separation status, attachment to family, and psychological distress. Findings aim to inform mental health interventions for Latina young adults who immigrate to the US without family.